“I can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!”
After three albums and 15 years in the industry, Teyana Taylor appears to be stepping away from music.
On Friday night, the singer shared her year-end Spotify stats, along with a revelatory announcement. “I’m retiring this chapter of my story,” Taylor wrote, citing a feeling of being shut out by the “machine.”
“I ain’t gone front in times of feeling super under appreciated as a artist, receiving little to no real push from the ‘machine’, constantly getting the shorter end of the stick, being overlooked, I mean the list [goes] on and on lol,” Taylor explained. The singer went on to note that she “can depart with peace of mind seeing that all the hard work & passion put in was indeed loved & supported somewhere in the world!”
Taylor began her career as a dancer, credited as a choreographer as early as 2006 on Beyoncé’s “Ring The Alarm” video (when Taylor was just 15.) The following year, Taylor signed with Pharrell’s Star-Trak Records and delivered her first single, “Google Me,” in 2008. Her debut mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, arrived in 2009, featuring Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Pharrell, Missy Elliot, and more. In 2012, Taylor left Star Trak after the label failed to release her inaugural studio album. Later that year, Taylor joined Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint and appeared on the label’s Cruel Summer compilation. Her debut proper, VII, was released in 2014. Four years later, Taylor’s K.T.S.E was featured in West’s “Wyoming Sessions” campaign, along with projects from Pusha T, Kid Cudi, and Nas.
She released her third (and presumably final,) studio album, The Album, in June of this year. It featured appearances from Erykah Badu, Kehlani, Rick Ross, Big Sean, and more.
Read Teyana Taylor’s full post below and hold tight for her next dispatch.
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